New Details About ArcheAge Emerge from GDC

The Game Developer Conference in San Francisco is an “anyone who is anyone will be there” event, so of course Trion Worlds went to promote ArcheAge, dropping new details and showing off the latest English version.

Trion representatives spoke with William Murphy from MMORPG.com, who brought back an excited preview of the game, with a focus on the “sandbox” elements:

“There are fifteen different crafting professions, many of which have been cataloged before. From animal husbandry to larceny, musical composition to metalworking, farming to printing (making inks for paintings). Larceny can lead to being a wanted criminal among your faction, where you’re brought to trial under your peers’ discretion… and they can send you to jail. But it’s OK because you can play soccer, wear cool criminal-themed gear, and then break out or have your friends break you out if you want,” Murphy wrote.

Trion also gave Murphy some hints of how its western monetization model will work, focusing on labor points, which are needed to create things and are arguably the most important resource pool in ArcheAge.

“In Trion’s version, free players will get a moderate amount, subscribers will get a bit more (not a ton), and anyone who needs one last burst to finish something can buy a quick boost. But only a limited amount per day. Because labor points and crafting are so tied to ArcheAge’s gameplay, being able to buy them completely would be ‘Pay to Win.’ Trion is making sure that simply won’t be the case here.”

Trion also provided reassurances that there is a structure to the sandbox with “a full quest system in the game as well, carrying through the narrative and teaching you the many different systems of the game.”